Just about anyone planning a wedding uses Google. 3 years ago I heard a lot of comments along the lines of “wow, it’s amazing what you can plan on the internet!”. I don’t hear that anymore because it is the norm. I mean, who doesn’t?

Technology and social media have made it possible to not just “google” your wedding but it to make more social, beyond just the ceremony and the party.

I have not seen it done much in South Africa at all but I sense that it two years it will be as passé as using Google is today.

So, how can you enjoy your wedding with social media? Here are a few ideas:

Weddings tend to be collaborative – friends and moms LOVE to get involved. How about setting up a blog using wordpress.com or blogger.com? This way you can keep everyone in the loop on the planning and prep stages as well as having an enduring record of what you went through. Then you could use RememberTheMilk where all those “to do” lists can be kept with reminders by email or sms. You can even get the apps for blackberry or iPhone. Now everyone is in the loop and each knows what is done and still to be done. And of course don’t forget to create an event on Facebook. Throw away those post-its!

And for those up to the minute changes, updates and emergencies use a twitter hashtag such as #Hogarthwedding.

One of the best things about a wedding are the fabulous gifts. Having a registry at some fancy boutique is oh so 20th century. Using an Amazon wishlist or MyRegistry.com you can create a custom registry from any store on the web and have it shipped to you.

And then we come to the day itself. I love the fact that just about everyone at a modern wedding is a photographer. At the signing of the register, half the guests leave and the other half hover around the table taking pictures with phones and digital cameras. Create a Flickr account and have all your guests upload the photos. There are great shots taken at the reception that the official photographer would never get. With smart phones these can be uploaded as they’re taken! There is also the option to assemble these into a printed album using Blurb

At every wedding there are some important guests that can’t make it – they live overseas. Set up a webcam and let them watch the wedding live with streaming video.

Guestbook. Really? How about using Twitterfall and projecting well wishes and congratulations LIVE behind the dance floor? Using the same hashtag you created earlier it’s a piece of cake and tweets are sent live by guests from their smartphones. Of course, you’d still have to have the physical guestbook for the grand parents that were invited!

And lastly, everyone’s favourite – music. A low budget option that works well is to assemble iTunes play lists for the various parts of the evening. And if there is Wifi available at the venue you could use Apple Remote and guests with iPhones can browse playlists and select music.

The options are endless and even more will become available. It’s social media for a reason. We all love to be part of each others lives and be social and never before has it been this easy to be this engaged (pun itended)!

If you are planning a wedding using technology or if you have done so I would love to hear of your experiences.